The Greeks in Bactria and India c9.s1.9

c9.s1.9

The great satrapies almost always bore names ending in -ια, Persis being the only exception, unless Susis be reckoned; the eparchies most often bore names ending in -ηνη or, after iota, -ανη (-ιανη). Two other forms do also occur among the primary administrative divisions of the Succession states, names (very occasionally) in ια and some in -ιτις, which may be old eparchy forms; a third form in -υαια is merely a variant of -ηνη when preceded by upsilon, the two being used indiscriminately, as Parthyaia—Parthyene, Gordyaia—Gordyene.¹ The eparchy names had many sources; they might be taken from a city name, as Gabiene, Rhagiane; from a tribal name, as Paraitakene; or from some district name whose origin is lost, as Margiane from Margus (these are probably the majority); in Armenia some fanciful names are found, like Xerxene, Cambysene. And though other forms might sometimes occur, it was the -ηνη (or -ιανη) form which was the typical one and which spread all over Asia; and it is this form which has enabled the identification of a number of the Greek satrapies in India (Chap. VI). To make that identification valid, it is of course not enough to show that the majority of eparchies had names in -ην or -ιανη; it must also be shown that these names, in Greek writers, regularly meant either Seleucid eparchies or the primary administrative divisions of a Seleucid Succession state or of a state copying the Seleucid organisation; this is done in Appendix 2, the one or two exceptions being negligible among the mass of names extant; in fact, looking at the Greek dislike of technical terms, the result is rather notable. It must be emphasised that in speaking of the eparchy organisation I am speaking only of the lands east of the Euphrates (see on this App. 2), though the countries between the Euphrates and the Halys copied it.